The most common use of a bib is in feeding babies and young children. Senior citizens, mentally and physically handicapped persons, and patrons of restaurants also use bibs.
Most commonly, bibs are made from cloth and only serve to protect a small portion of clothing directly below the bib or are merely decorative in nature therefore not providing adequate protection to the wearer. Also, cloth bibs need to be washed frequently creating a need for multiple cloth bibs for each wearer.
Some other bibs made from rigid, plastic type materials with permanently formed troughs in the lower body, are able to catch and retain solids and liquids, but unfortunately can be both uncomfortable and potentially unsafe to the user due to the nature of the rigid material used which extends to the upper sections to secure the bib around the wearer's neck.
A proposed solution for the cleaning problem was a bib that was designed to have a temporary pocket at its lower section that allowed it to be opened and easily wiped end cleaned by folding a flap in the lower section upward and folding the two corners around to the back of the bib to be fastened. The obvious flaw associated with this proposal is preventing liquid and food debris from leaking at the bib's corners.
Previous patents disclose bibs having a pocket structure for receiving solids and liquids, which would otherwise soil the wearer's clothing. An example of a prior proposal for a bib with a temporary pocket formed in its tower body is U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,941 issued Apr. 9, 1996 to Sell. Sail presents an improvement to pocket structures however, the nature in which the lower section is folded and fastened in this invention is done in such a manner that the folds themselves are found on the inside of the pocket which allows food particles and liquid to escape from the pocket at these folded sections thus soiling the wearer. Also, the folded sections themselves become covered in food debris and liquid making it more difficult to clean when unfastened. A third flaw is potentially found the folding process and fastener locations for forming the temporary pouch as it is not more complicated solution therefore requiring the user to obtain instructions in order to correctly form the pocket.
Another design flaw found in some proposals for pockets is if a pocket does not project or bow outward and away from the body of the bib, it will fail to catch food debris and liquid.
A fourth issue related to some bib designs is the inability to adjust the upper portions of the bib at the wearers neck for both a comfortable fit and also to prevent food particles and liquid from falling beneath the bib and soiling the user at the neck.
A fifth problem noted on some bibs is the lack of protection to the wearer's shoulders. Babies, especially, have a tendency to wipe their faces on their shoulders therefore creating a need for this area of the bib to be addressed.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a pliable, waterproof, reusable bib having a releasable pocket formed in its lower section for receiving and retaining food particles and liquid. It is also desirable that such a bib be adjustable in the neck, provide protection over the shoulders, and be easily cleaned.